Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anuradhapura and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $509 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Anuradhapura and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Anuradhapura and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $509 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,775 in Athens, rent included.

Anuradhapura $509
Athens $1,775

A couple spends around $825 per month in Anuradhapura vs $2,721 in Athens, rent included.

Anuradhapura $825
Athens $2,721

A family of three spends $1,140 per month in Anuradhapura vs $3,666 in Athens, rent included.

Anuradhapura $1,140
Athens $3,666

Anuradhapura is about 71% cheaper than Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Anuradhapura sits 62% below the global median, while Athens is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 LKR 1,442

$16.69 €14.84

-73.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.76 LKR 7,870

$67.8 €60.3

-64.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 LKR 2,529

$11.14 €9.91

-31.51%

Cappuccino

$2.41 LKR 798

$4.03 €3.58

-40.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 LKR 237

$2.77 €2.46

-74.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.55 €0.49

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 LKR 753

$5.74 €5.10

-60.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 LKR 1,032

$5.45 €4.85

-42.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 542

$1.82 €1.62

-9.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$1.38 €1.23

-61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 263

$2.80 €2.49

-71.43%

Eggs

$1.58 LKR 522

$4.83 €4.30

-67.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.03 LKR 4,648

$15.05 €13.39

-6.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,588

$10.63 €9.45

-54.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,440

$18.43 €16.39

-60.01%

Apples (1kg)

$6.89 LKR 2,283

$2.20 €1.96

213.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 275

$1.90 €1.69

-56.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 LKR 1,495

$1.37 €1.22

229.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 402

$2.10 €1.87

-42.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 341

$1.08 €0.96

-4.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 251

$1.12 €1.00

-32.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.12 €1.00

-17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$0.88 €0.79

-46.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 LKR 3,412

$5.48 €4.88

87.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 LKR 4,498

$10.13 €9.01

34.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 651

$2.13 €1.89

-7.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 969

$2.25 €2.00

30.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$4.45 €3.96

-91.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$1.02 €0.90

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 314

$16.92 €15.05

-94.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$2.25 €2.00

-39.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

$28.0K €24.9K

30.72%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$28.2K €25.1K

46.43%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

$205 €182

-73.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$4.33 LKR 1,436

$26.65 €23.71

-83.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.17 LKR 7,013

$30.38 €27.02

-30.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 LKR 1,428

$10.42 €9.27

-58.64%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$38.49 LKR 12.7K

$569 €506

-93.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,229 LKR 407.2K

$12.6K €11.2K

-90.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.84 LKR 5,910

$88.7 €78.9

-79.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.82 LKR 5,572

$40.46 €35.99

-58.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 LKR 26.4K

$105 €93.3

-24.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.74 LKR 14.2K

$121 €108

-64.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

4.48

183.26%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Anuradhapura

$240 47.1%

Athens

$310 17.5% 29.5% $71

Eating Out

Anuradhapura

$108 21.2%

Athens

$268 15.1% 148% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anuradhapura

$80 15.7%

Athens

$262 14.7% 227% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Anuradhapura

$71 13.9%

Athens

$160 9% 126% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Anuradhapura

$8.6 * 1.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 774% $67

Getting Around

Anuradhapura

$2.1 * 0.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 2037% $43

Accommodation & Living

Anuradhapura

- * 0%

Athens

$655 36.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Anuradhapura versus $68.0 in Athens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $310 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

21:35 9:35 PM

2 h 30 min behind Anuradhapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,200

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

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Between locations

Anuradhapura Athens 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Anuradhapura
Athens

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Anuradhapura vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $509 in Anuradhapura, $1,775 in Athens – roughly 249% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $764 per month in Anuradhapura and $2,662 in Athens. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Anuradhapura and $68.0 in Athens. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Athens, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Athens at $1,775. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Athens has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $509 in Anuradhapura to $1,775 in Athens. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Anuradhapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Athens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.